(Not Applicable)
(Not Applicable)
This invention relates in general to signs, and in particular to a portable sign especially exemplified by a safety sign electrostatically attachable to a vertical surface such as a glass pane for temporary or permanent retention, and having along an adjacent length of at least one edge thereof a non-electrostatically engaging material or coating for convenient finger grasping to thereby effectuate easy removal of the sign from the vertical surface.
Specialty in-door signs such as those used for safety messages that relate to temporary hazards in public places are well known. Examples of such warning signs include those advising of wet-floor slippery conditions, workers performing repairs, temporarily restricted spaces, and the like. Typically, these prior-art signs either are self-supporting for floor placement and include a support post or an A-frame design, or are attached to or free-hanging on a wall near the subject hazard. Unfortunately, such floor-placed signs can, themselves, be a hazard if a person accidently trips over such a sign placed in a walkway. Additionally, for both the floor-placed and wall-attached prior-art signs, convenient portability and/or storage is not realized. Additionally, because of their size or placement requirements, these prior-art signs many times cannot be situated most opportunely to advise the public and employees of the particular hazard at the earliest time and well before the danger is encountered.
In view of these disadvantages and shortcomings of such prior-art signage, it is apparent that a need is present for a portable sign whose placement can be accomplished advantageously and whose physical characteristics permit selective sign display at one site along with convenient portability for repositioning at a different site. Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a portable sign for easy attachment to and removal from a generally vertical surface such as a glass pane.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable sign wherein attachment to a vertical surface is accomplished electrostatically.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a portable sign wherein the sign is provided along the length of one edge thereof a non-electrostatically engaging material or coating for convenient finger grasping and therefore easy sign removal from the vertical surface.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent throughout the description thereof which now follows.
The present invention is a portable sign for attachment to a generally vertical surface such as a glass pane. The sign comprises a sheet of electrostatically engaging material having printed thereon sign indicia and having a plurality of edges. A non-electrostatically engaging material or coating is disposed along substantially at least one of an entire front and back opposing length adjacent the at least one edge for easy finger grasp thereof and resulting sign removal from the vertical surface when signage is no longer desired. When both opposing lengths have such material or coating, either side of the sign can be engaged with the vertical surface and provide finger grasp removal.
In a preferred embodiment the electrostatically engaging material is a polymer material which can be non-limitedly exemplified as vinyl, while the sign indicia relates to safety messages, and can include word(s) and/or pictorial or graphic image(s) to convey the information. Preferably, the non-electrostatically engaging material or coating is non-opaque and extends inwardly from the edge a distance from about 0.25 to about one inch. Because of this attachment and removal versatility, the sign can be located, for example, on doorway glass to thereby advise entrants of a hazard inside a structure before entry occurs as opposed to hazard-site sign placement only. When the hazard no longer exists, the non-electrostatically engaging material or coating, which does not attach to the vertical surface, is easily finger-graspable for easy disengagement of the electrostatically engaging material and ultimate removal of the sign for storage, disposal, or re-attachment to another site.